Flashbacks and Echoes
by Oliviet
Summary: "But the longer she stares at him, the more she realizes that she knows him, that she dated him in high school, and that this is the man who took her virginity." Inspired by this tumblr prompt: childhood sweethearts who moved away and then into the same apartment block by chance AU
1. Chapter 1

AN: This started out as a two part ficlet prompt from tumblr, but I've been encouraged to expand upon it so here we are. If you've already read this on tumblr, give it a re-read because I've added to the original.

* * *

><p>She's transferring her clothes from the washer to the dryer when she sees him walk into the laundry room of their apartment complex. At first, she's simply taken aback by how attractive he is. But the longer she stares at him, the more she realizes that she knows him, that she dated him in high school, and that this is the man who took her virginity.<p>

"Oh my god," she mutters, suddenly wishing she had chosen to do her whites first since her bras and underwear are now sitting completely in the open in her laundry basket.

It's true. The man has seen her naked. But still. She digs around in the basket, trying to find a white T-shirt or something to lie over the top.

"No way," she hears him mutter.

Oh lovely, he's probably just made the same connection she has. She risks looking in his direction again, trying to remember why they broke up and how awkward this will be on a scale from 1 to 10.

But he isn't even looking at her. He's frantically pushing buttons on the change machine and nothing is happening. It probably ate his dollar. It does that a lot. She sighs and heads over to help him.

"You must be new," Kate muses, hitting the change machine in the weird pattern of spots she's discovered will actually return coins to you when it gets stuck.

Sure enough the quarters spill out into the dispenser and he turns to stare at her in awe. God, was he this hot in high school?

"That was awesome," he tells her, scooping up his coins. "Thank you."

"No problem," she says, turning back to start her dryer.

"Hang on a second," he calls after her. "You look really familiar to me."

He doesn't even remember her. And she's pretty sure she took his virginity too. Awkward scale: 10.

"I think we went to high school together," is all Kate offers, hoping he can fill in the rest for himself.

"If you are who I think you are, we did more than just that."

She can't help the small smile that threatens to spread across her lips. So maybe he does recognize her.

"Katie Beckett, hot as ever."

She laughs, scrubbing a hand through her hair. "Actually it's just Kate now. But you look good too, Rick. Really good."

"Well look at you, trying to sound all adult."

She rolls her eyes at him. "At least I didn't change my last name to Castle."

"Oh come on. Richard Rogers? Doesn't exactly scream best-seller, does it?"

"But it's an alliteration."

He laughs at that, selecting the machine next to hers. "Oh I've missed your brain."

"Dated a lot of ditzy girls since me?"

"I wouldn't call them ditzy," he shrugs. "But they weren't exactly straight A, Pre-Law material like yourself. Tell me Kate, prosecution or defense?"

She knows where he's going with this. The last time they talked, she was still Pre-Law at Stanford. He knew about her dreams of becoming the youngest female Chief Justice. Knew that she had plans to work in criminal law until she could work her way up the political ladder. Knew that back then, she was still on the fence for which side she wanted to fight for. He doesn't know that she abandoned all of that for another cause.

"Um, homicide?" Kate answers, making it sound like a question.

He stares at her for a moment, like he's trying to figure out what that means. Truthfully, homicide could represent either side of the law in lawyer terms.

"So prosecution then?" he asks, slowly.

She shakes her head, reaching for her laundry detergent to start her next load. "I'm a detective actually. Changed my career path a bit since graduation."

"Is that because of your mom?"

She freezes, her hand tightening around a T-shirt. She forgets that he knows things. That even though she hasn't spoken with him since high school, he's perfectly capable of picking up a newspaper or watching the news. And the name Johanna Beckett would mean something to him. Because he knew her.

"I'm sorry," Rick starts, noticing her hesitation. "People talk and I just…Johanna was a great woman. I liked her a lot."

She drops the shirt into the washer and turns to look at him. She can see the slightest hint of pain in his eyes, swirling with grief. He and her mother always did get along pretty well.

"You only say that because she approved of you," Kate smiles. "Said we made a cute couple."

"We did make a cute couple."

She smiles at him again, turning back to her laundry basket.

"No, but Kate, I am sorry. It really sucks."

She nods, tossing more clothes into the washer. She needs to talk about something else. Doesn't want to get dragged back down with the thoughts of her murder right now.

"Thank you," she says quietly. "But we can talk about something else maybe?"

"Right, sorry. We could talk about sex since you know…"

Kate quirks an eyebrow at him, amused by his sudden shyness at the subject.

"Since we took each other's virginity?" she finishes. "It's okay you can say it."

He laughs, starting his own load of laundry.

"I promise I've learned how to last longer than I did in high school," Rick says.

"Oh my god, you seriously need to stop apologizing for that," Kate laughs, pushing buttons on the washer to start it.

"It's an ego thing, all right? Humor me."

"Honestly, Rick, if I thought you were bad at sex in high school, I wouldn't have kept doing it with you. We were each other's firsts. We didn't know anything else."

"But still," he tells her. "I've gotten better."

She smirks at him. "Why is it so necessary for me to know that? You have big plans to get in my pants again?"

His cheeks flush red at that. "Oh no, I wasn't implying –"

Kate starts laughing. "Relax, Rick. You'd think you'd be able to pick up on my sarcasm by now."

"Well in my defense, it's been a while."

"That it has. But that doesn't excuse the eight years of practice you've had."

"Eight years?" he whistles. "Man, I always forget that we met in the 5th grade."

"You had it for me bad," she teases. "Ever since that very first day."

"I did not," Rick tries to protest.

"Please, you brought me that extra special Valentine on Valentine's Day."

Kate thinks she might even still have it. Everyone had to bring Valentines for the whole class, but she'd noticed the one from Rick was different than the ones he brought for everyone else. Hers was handmade, first of all, and covered in glitter.

"Okay, but that was in February. The very first day, as you put it, was in September."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't been crushing on me before February, you never would have made me that masterpiece."

He groans. "How bad was it? I only remember Mother suggesting that girls loved glitter so I practically dumped a whole bottle of it on to it."

She thinks back, really trying to remember if she kept that along with her other mementos from childhood. It seriously might be stuffed in a box in the back of her closet somewhere.

"Your earliest writer days," Kate tells him. "Complete with that chicken scratch you used to call your handwriting."

"Oh god, I tried to write you a poem, didn't I? All these years later and I still suck at poetry."

"Hey, you still managed to get the girl," she shrugs.

"Ah yes, our awkward middle school dating phase. Complete with parent chaperones."

Kate laughs at the memory of her dad sitting behind them on their trips to the movies, and not so subtly following them as they walked around the mall.

"What can I say? Only daughter and only child. My dad was a little over protective."

"Yeah, so much so that you went out and bought a Harley. Not to mention the naval ring and the tattoo. Do you still have all of those by the way?"

"The Harley? Yes. The tattoo? Yes. The naval ring? That came out when I turned 20."

"Is that around the time you started going by Kate instead of Katie?"

"Actually it is."

He smiles, finally turning back to his laundry. "Glad to hear that at least parts of Rebel Bex live on."

Kate bites her lower lip. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while."

"Yeah? Maybe I should hunt down your cop buddies and tell them to start calling you that."

"Do that and I will shoot you."

"Is that a threat, Detective?"

The playfulness in his tone is almost too much. It's like nothing has changed. Like they're back to being their teenage selves with their banter.

"I won't actually shoot you. But please, keep my past away from my colleagues."

He tosses her a mischievous grin, focusing again on the task at hand. She watches him measure out his detergent and then pause when he realizes he doesn't know where to put it. Front loading washers always seem to mess new tenants up. Kate laughs and moves to help him, taking the detergent from his hands and pouring it where it belongs. He shoots her a grateful smile and sheepishly hands her his bleach as well. She pours it for him too.

"Fabric softener?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips.

"I uh, no. The detergent says it's included in that. That's good enough, right? Because I've been buying it this way for a while now."

Kate laughs. "No, that's perfectly fine. I was just going to help you with that too, if you had it."

"Oh, yeah no. I've got it now, thanks."

She shakes her head, hoisting her laundry basket up on her hip. He pushes the buttons he needs on the machine and it whirs to life, starting to fill with water.

"My apartment is just a couple doors down if you wanted to hang out and catch up some more while we wait for our laundry," she offers.

He nods, finishing up preparing his load. "I'd like that."

Kate definitely hadn't expected this blast from the past when she woke up this morning. But as she leads her old high school flame back to her apartment, she finds that she's more than okay that it did.


	2. Chapter 2

"You and your elephants," Rick muses, staring at the giant painting of one on her wall.

He's always known her to love that animal. Her obsession with them extends back to grade school even. In fact, thinking back on that Valentine he gave her, he's pretty sure he tried to draw her an elephant on it. Emphasis on tried.

"Blame my mother," Kate tells him, walking into her bedroom to drop off her freshly folded load of laundry. "Even more so now."

"Do you still have that stuffed one you used to keep on your bed?" he calls after her.

He can still picture it now. The thing was the size of a small puppy, its grey fur – yes, fur, it was a stuffed animal after all – was matted down from being loved for so many years. It also had a baby pink ribbon around its neck.

"Mrs. Dumbo?" she winces, stepping back out into her living room. "No. She's in storage at my dad's somewhere."

"That's probably for the best. That elephant has seen too much."

She groans again. "Please don't remind me about the time we accidentally had sex on it. My inner child was very traumatized by that."

He remembers her freaking out about it, her rambling on about how this is why she shouldn't be sneaking him into her room in the middle of the night. He had managed to calm her down, like he always did. He was good at that, wondered if he still was.

Rick laughs, sinking down on her couch. "Hey at least it wasn't one of _your_ parents who walked in on us."

"Oh god, Martha. How is she?" Kate asks, heading into the kitchen to pull out a fresh pitcher of lemonade.

"Oh just as dramatic as ever. Still in love with life on the stage."

She grins, joining him on the couch with two glasses of lemonade. "I bet. Does she still do a lot of plays?"

Rick nods. "Maybe not as many as she used to, but she just keeps auditioning for things. She's getting to the age though where they start trying to cast her as the mother instead of the lead and she's not too happy about that. Although the last play she auditioned for, they tried to offer her the role of the grandmother. I thought for sure that she was going to try and sue."

Kate laughs, shaking her head. "Sounds like the same old Martha."

"Ah yes. She certainly hasn't changed much since you last met."

"So what else is new? Or has everything else managed to stay the same?"

"Well I uh, I had a kid."

He decides it's best to get that out in the open. He's not entirely sure what he expects to happen, if anything, but he figures it's definitely better to lead with the father card than have her find out later on her own.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "You? A father?"

"I happen to be quite excellent at it, thank you very much. I think I found my calling."

"I thought writing was your calling."

Rick pauses, thinking about that. "My other calling. Want to see a picture?"

She nods and he pulls out his wallet, handing over her most recent school photo.

"Her name is Alexis."

"Oh wow she has your mom's hair," Kate smiles.

"Her mom is a redhead too. It was bound to happen."

She hands him back the photo. "She's gorgeous, Rick."

"Thank you. She's spending the day with my mother."

"But she lives with you?"

He nods. "Meredith, my ex-wife, decided she's not really cut out for the whole mom thing."

Sympathy flashes across her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It just means I get to be the favorite parent."

She laughs, taking a sip of her drink.

"So what's some big shot author like you doing in this apartment building?" Kate asks.

"I just bought the penthouse loft. My mother lives with us now, so I needed the extra space. I don't have laundry machines in it yet so here we are. I guess the previous tenant either didn't need them or somehow managed to take them when they moved out. Did you know the guy?"

"Oh please like the penthouse owners would ever associate with us normal apartment holders," she says, gesturing around her apartment with her arms.

"That snotty, huh?" he laughs.

Kate groans. "Oh yes."

"Well don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the little people…yet."

She rolls her eyes and pushes him, nearly sloshing some of his drink over the rim.

"You think Derrick Storm has made you that much of a hot shot?" she asks, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Well clearly, if you've heard of it."

She rolls her eyes again. "I still read everything you write, Rick. And I think the Storm novels are your best work yet."

"My publisher seems to think so," he shrugs. "So tell me about you, Katie – I mean Kate. Any men in your life?"

She shrugs and he can sense her withdrawing a bit. Is this a sensitive subject? He didn't mean for it to be.

"Just my dad. And the guys I work with," Kate answers, trying her best to sound like she doesn't care. But he knows her. He can tell that she does.

"How are you possibly single?"

"Work keeps me pretty busy. I was in a pretty serious relationship for a while, but he got a job offer in Boston and he took it."

Oh, there it is.

"You could have gone with him," Rick suggests, hoping to get more out of her.

She shakes her head, her hand coming up to pull at the chain around her neck.

"I became a cop for a reason, Rick. I didn't do it for the sake of becoming a detective, but I think you know that."

He realizes he's breeching dangerous territory here, but he keeps pushing, the writer in him not satisfied without getting the full story. But he has an idea of where this is headed. She wouldn't leave with the guy because of her mother's case. He's starting to see how much she's let the thing consume her.

"She'd want you to be happy, you know," he tells her, catching her gaze with his.

"And I will be. Once I catch the guy that did this to her."

She's still tugging on that chain. He catches the glimpse of a ring between her thumb and index finger. It's probably Johanna's wedding ring; worn around her neck to keep her close.

"So what, you're just gonna put the rest of your life on hold until you get there? Are you anywhere close?"

She's silent, her gazing dropping to the floor.

"Look, I know it's been years, but I like to think that I know you pretty well. You can't keep hiding in this case and forget to live your life."

"I'm not the same girl that I was in high school," she says, softly.

"No, I know. I get that. Katie hadn't been hurt like you have. But I also know how much you like to have fun and sitting home on a Saturday night doing laundry isn't it."

"You're doing the same thing," Kate says, looking over at him.

"Yeah, because my kid was out of clean underwear."

She laughs a little at that, scrubbing a hand through her hair. "What if my excuse is that I was out of clean underwear too?"

"Were you?"

She pauses, trying to keep her lips from twisting into a smile. "…No."

Without thinking, he reaches over and grabs her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it.

"My point is, Kate, that you don't have to let this thing consume your whole life. You can still live and keep investigating at the same time."

She shakes her head. "You can't just come in here, after being out of my life for as long as you have, and try to tell me how to live it. You weren't here when she died. You didn't even come to the funeral and I half expected you to. You don't know anything about who I am now or how important it is to me that I close her case. I'm a big girl, Rick. I can make my own life decisions."

He settles back against the couch, his hand leaving hers.

"I just don't want to see you throw your life away," he tells her.

"I'm not."

"Really? Are you happy right now? Spending your days catching killers, coming home to your empty apartment alone?"

"I'd stop right now if I were you," she says through gritted teeth.

He holds up his hands in surrender. "Fine. I just thought you might want to talk about it."

"Well I don't."

They fall into an uncomfortable silence, both of them fidgeting with their lemonade glasses. His mind races, trying to find something else to say to her. All these years later, and he still hates it when she's mad at him.

"You know, if I remember correctly, we only broke up because you were moving to California," he starts in, hoping to have found calmer waters. "And we had this awful fight about long distance relationships and just decided to call it quits rather than try to make it work. You never even bothered to tell me that you moved back here."

Kate shrugs. "I figured you'd moved on."

He had. He'd met Meredith and tried to start a life with her. But that hadn't exactly worked out.

"Well I'm here now. If you need me. You don't have to go through this thing alone."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

"Okay, I'll rephrase. I'm not going to move away to Boston on you. I'll be right here rooting for you while you track down the son of a bitch who killed Johanna. I'll even continue to be your Saturday night laundry buddy if that's what you want."

She smirks at him and he can tell she's trying to fight it. "Don't you date anymore? Saturday night is prime date night time."

"Why would I need to date when I could hang out with the one who got away?"

"You really think that's me? That what we had growing up, really meant that much?"

He catches her eye, reading her expression. She needs this just as much as he does. A little piece of their pasts, come back to life.

"Don't you?"

She smiles at that, a little bit of her tough exterior melting away. She's put up walls in their time apart, an attempt to stop people from getting in to hurt her. But he finds himself hoping that maybe there's still a spot for himself inside those walls. After all, she's going to need someone to stop her from drowning in this case. That is if he can ever get her to talk about it again without biting his head off.

"I didn't get away, Rick," she sighs, playing into his hope. "I'm right here."


	3. Chapter 3

She hears his phone beep once they're back in the laundry room, transferring their loads to the dryers. He catches her staring at him while he checks his text and she quickly diverts her gaze back to her wet clothes.

"It's Alexis," he tells her, smirking at her interest. "She just wanted me to know that she and my mother are back. Wondering where I went off to."

"She must really be worried if you told her you've been doing laundry this whole time."

"I told her I ran into an old friend."

She nods, starting her dyer and watching as he does the same.

"Looks like you're finally getting the hang of the machines."

Rick tosses her a cheeky grin. "Well, I had a good teacher."

"Well as much fun as it was to watch a grown man struggle with laundry –"

He fake laughs at that, shooting her a look. "Well I was going to invite you up to my place for taco night, but after a remark like that, I'm having second thoughts."

"You want me to come have dinner with you and your family?"

He shrugs. "You've known my mother for years. I'm sure she'll be just thrilled to see you again. And Alexis hasn't bitten anyone since she stopped teething."

Kate rolls her eyes. "How old is your daughter, like 13? I'm sure she just loves you feeding people that line."

"She's 12 actually. Doesn't turn 13 for two more months. Please don't quicken the process, I haven't accepted the fact I'm about to start raising a teenager yet."

She can't stop the grin that spreads across her face. "You're worried she's going to turn out like I did, aren't you?"

Rick shrugs, sheepishly. "You said it yourself, only child and only daughter plus overprotective father. You even started out sweet and innocent like she is now."

"Then don't let her meet boys like you and you won't have a problem."

He places a hand over his chest, pretending to be hurt. "Really? You're blaming me for your corruption?"

Kate narrows her eyes at him. "Oh you were part of it, I'm sure. You were quite the bad influence, Richard Rogers."

He groans at the use of his old surname. "So come on, what do you say? I make a mean taco."

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

Rick smiles in response, gathering up his laundry supplies to take back upstairs.

"Fine. But only because you basically begged."

* * *

><p>"I brought home a stray," Rick announces as they enter into his loft.<p>

She takes in the appearance of the space, wondering if he picked out the items himself or if he had an interior decorator help him. She can't imagine all of this being his doing, but then again he does live with two women who may have played a hand in the decorating choices.

"Like a puppy?" Alexis asks, bounding down the stairs.

"No, she's a far cry from a puppy," he answers his daughter.

Kate shoots him a look.

"Richard, what have I told you about bringing home strange women to dinner?" Martha calls from the kitchen.

"That divorce is hitting you real hard there, huh, Rick?" Kate asks, jabbing him in the side with her elbow.

"Mother, I'd hardly call the woman I dated throughout the entirety of high school, strange."

She hears clattering in the kitchen as Martha comes around to the living room. She chances a glance at Alexis and sees the girl giving her a curious look from the foot of the stairs. Kate tries giving her a small smile, but the girl only turns her gaze back to her father.

"Katherine?" Martha exclaims when she sees her. "My look at you! You're all grown up!"

Kate startles as the older woman pulls her into a hug.

"Wherever did you find her?" Martha asks, when she pulls away.

"The laundry room," Rick answers. "She lives in the building."

"Oh that's just wonderful. How are you, darling?"

"I'm good, Martha. How are you? Rick tells me you're still taking the theater world by storm."

"Oh," Martha waves her off. "Just an occasional play here and there. I want to hear about you."

Kate looks back over at Rick. She still hasn't been introduced to his daughter, and she's already getting the vibe that the 12-year-old is weary of her. He seems to pick up on her uneasiness.

"Lex," he starts, before his mother forces Kate into giving her a play by play of the past couple of years. "This is my friend, Kate. We've known each other since we were in 5th grade. When we bumped into each other in the laundry room earlier, I invited her to taco night. You okay with that?"

The small redhead gives her a once over and then nods. "If you've known her that long and she still wants to hang out with you she must be cool."

Kate stifles a laugh.

"I think that was an insult, but I'm not entirely sure," Rick says, draping his arm around his daughter and leading her into the kitchen.

Kate trails behind them with Martha at her side.

"So, Katherine, catch me up. What have you been up to?"

"I'm a homicide detective," she tells the woman, taking a seat next to her at the dining room table.

The older woman's face softens. "Oh that's right. I heard about your mother. I'm so sorry for your loss. She was a lovely woman."

"Thank you," she answers softly.

"I'm sure you're doing her justice with your detecting skills. You always were a bright child."

She nods, giving her a small smile. "Rick, do you need any help?"

"No, Alexis and I have got this," he tells her as he begins to cook the taco meat. "And besides, you're our guest."

"So what else is new, Katherine?" Martha asks, drawing the attention back to her.

"Not a whole lot," Kate shrugs. "Just work."

"How's your father?"

"He's good," Kate smiles. "Things were kind of rough for a while after we lost my mom, but he's doing a lot better."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Martha says, returning her smile.

"Wow, I feel left out of the loop," Alexis comments, bringing the taco shells over to the table. "Everyone knows you, but me."

"Well what do you want to know?" Kate asks her.

Alexis smiles at her and Kate swears she's seen that same smile on Rick before. Like father, like daughter.

"Everything," Alexis laughs. "You knew my dad when he was like 10. I need stories."

"No," Rick starts, shaking his head and bringing a bowl of shredded cheese to the table. "You don't. Besides, Kate is the one you don't know. Hearing her stories about me isn't going to help you any."

"I don't know, Rick. That story about Valentine's Day in 5th grade is very insightful," Kate teases.

Martha starts laughing, knowing all too well what she's talking about.

"And here I thought inviting you to dinner was a good idea," he mumbles, going to back to check on the meat.

"Don't worry," Kate smirks. "I don't plan to embarrass you too much."

* * *

><p>They'd finished dinner, telling endless embarrassing stories about each other, leaving out the more inappropriate ones to spare the almost teenager the details. Alexis had certainly warmed up to her by the end of the night and Martha had welcomed her back with open arms. They were back down in the laundry room now, collecting the last of their loads from the dryer.<p>

"Alexis doesn't normally warm up to woman I'm dating that fast," Rick muses, tugging open his dryer.

"Are we dating again?" Kate asks, pointing to herself. "I wasn't aware."

He gives her a weird look until he realizes what he said. His face softens into a smile.

"Not what I meant," he corrects quickly.

"You bring home a lot of women since your divorce?" Kate asks, emptying out the lint trap.

He sighs. "I suppose. Meredith…hurt me. She cheated on me. As stupid as it sounds, I guess I've just been trying to feel something. It's like I'm trying to get back at her or something."

Kate shakes her head. "It's not stupid."

He gives her small smile and starts pulling his clothes into his laundry basket.

"So you think Alexis likes me," she starts, going back to the beginning of this conversation.

Rick nods. "Oh she definitely does. It's probably because she can tell that you actually like me."

She scrunches her eyebrows together. "The women you date don't like you?"

"Okay, I'm putting my foot in my mouth here. Let's just talk about something else."

"Maybe we should just call it a night," Kate offers, slowly.

Rick looks down at his watch. "It's only 8:15."

"Well our laundry is done, I've met your kid, we've had dinner. It's been a very eventful Saturday night for me."

"Look, if this is about what I said earlier about you coming home alone –"

Kate places a hand on his shoulder. "It's not. It's just…what else do you expect to happen?"

"Well I don't know about you, but I've really enjoyed talking to you again. I've missed you, Kate. You were my best friend for years –"

"We can't just jump right in and expect to pick up right where we left off. We're different people now than we were back then."

"I'm not asking us to. We live in the same building now. My mother likes you. My daughter likes you. Can't we be friends?"

"We are, but –"

"But friends can't hang out past eight o'clock?" he asks, raising his eyebrows at her.

She gives him a small smile, hoisting her laundry basket up on her hip. "I just don't want to be another strange woman you use to get back at your ex."

Rick doesn't think as he reaches out to rub his thumb across her cheek. She leans into his touch, letting her eyes slip closed for a brief moment.

"You mean so much more to me than that," he tells her. "You always have."

She brings her hand up to cup his against her cheek.

"Good night, Rick."

Kate steps away from him, turning to head out of the laundry room.

"Kate?"

She pauses, but doesn't turn back around.

"See you around?" he asks.

She nods, glancing back over her shoulder. "Yeah. I'll see you later."


	4. Chapter 4

There's a bouquet of flowers waiting outside of her apartment when she returns home from work on Monday. All of them yellow and orange: daffodils, lilies, and something that might be marigolds. She spots the little white card nestled down amongst all of the color and plucks it from its plastic holder. _Just a little something to brighten your day. _

There's no name signed, but after all of these years she still recognizes his handwriting. She isn't sure if he meant to sign it and was too rushed to do so or if he was trying to leave it as an open ended mystery. Either way, she finds herself shaking her head as she bends to scoop them up and bring them inside.

Kate places the bouquet in the center of the table in front of her couch, the card still pinched between her fingers. She should call him, thank him for the flowers. But then she realizes that she doesn't have his number. He probably did that on purpose so she would have to go find him in person. Sneaky bastard.

Sighing, she tosses the card onto the table and grabs her keys on the way back out the door. Kate steps into the waiting elevator and presses the button that will take her to the top floor. As she makes her way off the elevator and towards his door, she starts to wonder if he's even home right now. She looks down at her dad's watch. It's a quarter past six. They're probably just sitting down to dinner. She should come back.

Kate starts to turn back toward the elevator when she hears the door open behind her.

"Katherine?"

She spins back around, forcing a smile onto her face. "Hi, Martha. I was just coming to thank Rick for some flowers he bought me, but then I realized what time it was and figured you were probably eating dinner."

"Oh nonsense, go on in. He's still cooking, but he certainly won't mind seeing you," Martha tells her, ushering her toward the door.

"Uh, where are you headed?"

"To go pick up a bottle of wine from the corner store down the street. All we have is red and what Richard is making calls for white."

Kate laughs. "And he's making you go get it?"

Martha purses her lips and shakes her head. "I volunteered. He said he'd be fine with red, but I for one, am not."

"You always did have sophisticated taste."

Martha pats her on the shoulder and pushes open the loft door. "Go on in, dear. I'll be back shortly."

Kate steps inside as Martha closes the door behind her.

"All right, Mother. What'd you forget?" Rick calls from the kitchen.

"Nope. Guess again."

There's a brief pause where she only hears the sound of sizzling. "Kate?"

"Present," she hums, stepping around the corner so he can see her.

He stares at her confused. "How did you get in?"

"Picked the lock."

Rick narrows his eyes at her and she smiles.

"I ran into Martha as I was getting off the elevator."

He nods, heading back over to the stove.

"So what brings you up here?" he asks. "Need to do laundry again already? Smell my delicious cooking from all the way downstairs?"

"I wanted to thank you for the flowers. I would have just called, but you never gave me your number."

"Why do you assume these flowers are from me? You could have a secret admirer. Or a stalker."

She laughs. "I recognized your handwriting."

"Damn, I knew I should have had the florist write the card."

Kate slips into one of the high top chairs positioned along the kitchen counter. "Why all of the secrecy?"

"Can't a guy want a little mystery in his life?"

"You write mystery novels for a living."

He huffs at that, busying himself with some spices.

"How's that going, by the way?" Kate asks, toying with the edge of a newspaper sitting on the counter. "What's Derrick's next big adventure going to be?"

He's quiet as he continues cooking.

"Rick?" she presses.

"I'm thinking about killing him off," he answers at last.

She blanches. "What? No. You can't do that. Why would you do that?"

He shrugs, his back still to her, as he turns down the heat on the stove. "I'm bored."

"Bored with what?" she asks, still not quite getting it.

"With writing Derrick Storm. I just...I feel like I've told all of his story that I have to tell."

"But people love him. _I_ love him. They're already going to be upset that you're ending the series, but to kill him off? They'll go mad. You sure you want to open that can of worms?"

"Is it bad to say that I'm amused by it? To toy with people's emotions, it's half the fun of being a writer. To kill off a character and have people turn around and hate you for it; it's means I'm doing my job right. I got people to connect at an emotional level with a fictional character. And now I want him to go out with a bang."

"You plan to blow him up?" Kate asks.

Rick laughs, enjoying her distress over this a little too much. "Just a figure of speech, Kate. I haven't decided how I want to do it yet."

"Well, what are you going to do after you kill him off?"

He shrugs, moving over to the fridge. "No clue. Maybe take a break, do some traveling, see where inspiration hits me."

Rick moves back to the counter, watching her slump down in her chair.

"He's not even real, Kate," he smirks.

She's knows that. Of course she does. But…_oh_. He doesn't know how much his books have done for her. About how she clung to them after her mother died, that one piece of him, that one piece of her past keeping her tethered. _He doesn't know_.

So he glares at him, choosing to take this another route. Not wanting to get into another argument about her mother and her case. "Says the man who still cries when Mufasa dies in _The Lion King_."

"Okay, Alexis should not have told you that."

"It's a cartoon lion, Rick," she teases. "I'm allowed to be upset about Derrick if you can care so deeply about an animated movie."

"I never said you weren't allowed," he counters. "I created him after all. I want people to care."

Kate inhales a deep breath, taking in the scents wafting around, and in return her stomach grumbles rather loudly.

Rick laughs. "I take it you haven't eaten dinner yet. Want to stay?"

She shakes her head, pushing herself out of the chair. "No, I have some leftovers in my fridge I need to eat before they go bad."

"Oh come on, waiting one more day to eat them won't cause them to mold over. You're here; eat with us."

"No, Rick, I don't want to impose. I already crashed your dinner on Saturday."

"It's not crashing. My family likes you. _I _like you."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "What are your plans here exactly? Buying me flowers, feeding me food?"

"No plans. You're hungry. I have food."

"And the flowers?"

He hums. "Think of them as an apology for what I'm going to do to Derrick Storm."

"Rick –"

"Honestly, Kate. This is just me being friendly."

She narrows her eyes at him. "You never bought me flowers when were dating."

He laughs, pulling plates down from the cupboard. "I was broke back then."

"Well if that's your excuse, you have a lot to make up for," Kate smirks.

"Don't worry. You'll be able to open your own floral shop by the end of the week."

She groans, trying to figure out where she could even display more extravagant bouquets.

"Or," Rick starts, bringing four plates to the table. "You could spare both of us seasonal allergy problems and just stay for dinner."

"You just don't give up, do you?"

"No. But I know you're more stubborn than I am, so if those leftovers are really calling your name you can go home and I'll see you later."

Wordlessly, she pulls out a chair at the dining room table and sits down, keeping her eyes trained on his. He nods and starts bringing the food out to the table and calls up to Alexis that dinner is ready.

"You should know that I'm only staying because I have a thing or two more to say about you killing off Derrick."

He smiles, sitting a wine glass down in front of her. "I should have known that conversation was far from over."

* * *

><p>After dinner, he leads her into his office and she's taken aback about the amount of books lining his shelves. Honestly, she shouldn't be surprised. He's always loved books; read everything he could get his hands on.<p>

"Were you being serious on Saturday when you said that you've read all of my books?" he asks, watching as she runs her fingers across the spines.

"Yep, every one." Her lips curl into a smile when she finds the book she bought him from a thrift store their senior year. Something that had looked like a mystery novel to her, but had ended up as a romance novel complete with descriptive sex scenes. He used to read them out loud to her, teasing her that this was the kind of relationship she wanted since she had subconsciously picked it out. "I can't believe you still have this."

"_Midnight Sky_?" he asks, sidling up beside her. "How could I ever get rid of that gem?"

Kate shakes her head, pulling it off the shelf and thumbing through it, finding their favorite sex scene still dog-eared.

"Did we actually think this was well written?" she asks, her eyes skimming over the words.

"We were young," Rick shrugs. "Now can we go back to you reading my books?"

She smiles, slipping the paperback back into its spot on the shelf. "Why are you so intrigued by that? I read what you wrote in high school, and you've come a long way since then."

He shrugs again. "I guess I just assumed with the way we left things…"

"You know, when I read Derrick Storm, I picture him as being you. I hear your voice so clearly in it. More than I did in _Hail of Bullets_ or any of the others. I think that's why I like it so much. It's kept me close to you."

"You wanted to stay close to me?" he asks, the faintest of smiles spreading across his lips.

This time it's her turn to shrug. "You just remind me of happier times. Back before my whole life turned upside down. And you never really forget your first love, even if you met them back on the playground."

Rick nods. "The swings. You were swinging really high. A lot higher than the rest of your friends and I remember thinking that you were some sort of dare devil so you must be cool."

Kate smiles at the memory, shaking her head.

"Hey, you don't need Derrick Storm to hold on to me anymore."

"Are we –" she starts, but trails off, the rest of the thought getting caught in her throat.

"Are we what?" he presses.

"I just admitted to still having thought about you after all this time. Did you ever think about me?"

He nods, reaching for her hand and letting his eyes meet hers in the lamplight.

"I told you. You're the one that got away."

She squeezes his hand in response.

"Do you remember the last time we kissed?" Rick asks softly.

"It's when we were breaking up, wasn't it?" Kate asks, scrunching up her nose.

"Yeah. I cheesily told you I needed one more kiss to remember the taste of you or something like that. I just wasn't ready to say goodbye yet."

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Remember the taste of me?"

He brings the hand up that isn't holding hers and runs it across her lips. "I like to think that I do."

"Are we really considering doing this, _us_, again?"

"Kate, just stop talking."

He bends his head and captures her lips with his. Her eyes slip closed and she kisses him back. He's familiar. A good familiar. He tastes like their dinner and the red wine he insisted on drinking anyway out of his own stubbornness. But beyond that it's just like she remembered. Only now he's a better kisser, they both are. Experience with age all of that.

Rick pulls her closer, his arms banding her waist until her hips are pressed into his. He keeps one arm there and the other brushes over her cheek before tangling into her hair. She's the one to deepen the kiss, her teeth nipping at his bottom lip until their tongues meet. Her hands lace at the nape of his neck, scraping at his tuft of hair there.

He starts walking her backwards, and when her back connects with a wall, she breaks the kiss. She half expects him to protest, but he only brings both hands up to cup her face and smiles down at her.

"Yeah," he starts. "I remember how you taste."


	5. Chapter 5

She can't stop thinking about him. She feels like she's in high school again with the way she keeps replaying that kiss in her mind. But then again getting back together with your high school sweetheart will do that you. But are they back together? It was just a kiss. A very hot and sensual kiss. One that had caused her to nearly sprint out of his loft apartment afterwards.

Looking back, she shouldn't have done that. It sends the wrong message. Is she even trying to send a message though? Kate sighs, scrubbing a hand over her face. When did dating get so complicated? Wait, _are_ they dating again?

"Beckett, I have those case files you wanted," Esposito says, trying to hand her a manila folder. He gets no response from her. "Beckett?"

She shakes her head, trying to clear thoughts of Rick from her mind. "Thanks Espo."

"Something on your mind?"

She takes the file from him and starts flipping through it. "I'm fine. Did Ryan get Thompson's alibi?"

"Yeah, guy was at a strip club until two AM. Bouncer confirmed it. Apparently he's a regular," Esposito explains.

"Great," Kate sighs. "Now we're back to having no suspect."

"Lanie's still working on cause of death. Maybe when she figures that out, it'll give us something to go off of," he suggests.

"I hate this case," she mutters, tossing the file onto her desk as she hears a text message alert from her phone.

It's from a number not already in her contacts. _Come out to dinner with me tonight. I'll leave Mother and Alexis at home_.

Rick. But how did he get her number? She texts him that question back without answering his dinner invitation before shoving it back in her desk drawer.

"Okay, why don't you and Ryan go down to the morgue and see where Lanie is with cause of death? I'll go over the timeline again and see if there isn't anyone else I can place at the crime scene," Kate says, pushing out of her chair and heading over to the whiteboard.

"I'll call if she has anything," he tells her, turning to leave.

Kate picks up a dry erase marker and writes 'has alibi' next to Thompson's name on the board. She really thought he was their guy. She wonders briefly if the bouncer at the strip club was somehow in on it and makes a mental note to ask the boys about their conversation with him when they get back. If Thompson's a regular, maybe he paid the bouncer off to give him an alibi and he really is their guy after all.

She hears the muffled sound of her phone again and figures it's Rick responding. She should ignore it, she knows, but as it beeps for a second time she moves to check it.

_I know a guy. And I'll be at your apartment by 7. _

Kate types back a quick, _cryptic as always_, and flips her phone to silent, hoping Esposito will call her on her desk phone if Lanie has found something. She will not allow that man to continue to distract her at work. She's distracted enough by his living mere floors above her when she's at home. But here, she has a job to do and a murder to solve.

* * *

><p>Her doorbell rings right at seven, like clockwork. And she isn't even dressed yet. He never told her where it was they were headed for dinner, and she never figured out if this was a casual evening or an expensive one. So she answers her door to him in her robe, her hair at least having managed to dry by now from her shower. But she hasn't fixed it yet, so it falls in kinky curls around her shoulders.<p>

Rick smirks at her, crossing his arms over his dress shirt. "I won't judge if you plan on wearing that, but uh –"

Kate groans and starts to walk back toward her bedroom. "You wouldn't tell me where we were going."

"In my defense you never actually told me yes to my dinner invite. I didn't want the plans to sway your decision any."

"Okay, I'm clearly going with you. Tell me what to wear."

He follows the sound of her voice into her bedroom, finds her staring at her open closet.

"What is that?" he cringes, pointing to something made of pink taffeta.

She sighs. "A bridesmaid's dress I was force to wear once."

"And why do you still have it? For Halloween?"

Kate turns to glare at him. "Did you come in here to help or make fun of my clothes?"

"If you consider that dress to be part of your wardrobe, I think we have some other problems at play here."

"Rick."

He moves to sit on the edge of her bed. "You're probably fine in jeans honestly. Unless you're itching to put on a dress."

She nods, lingering at her closet for a moment more before turning to face him with her hands on her hips. "Are we even going to talk about this?"

"Talk about what? You, always the bridesmaid, never the bride?"

Kate purses her lips. "Us."

Rick sighs, his hands folding into his lap. "Kate, it's just dinner."

"Is it? Because you're sending me flowers, and letting me eat with your family, and kissing me. Rick, I'm not…I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

She really isn't. She realized that was why she left his place so abruptly last night. She's just not in the right place for something like that at the moment.

"Then what are you looking for, Kate?"

"Honestly?" she starts, scrubbing a hand through her hair. "I could use a friend. Someone from outside of work."

"Okay," he says, standing up. "I can be your friend. But you can't deny that there's still chemistry between us. That that kiss was –"

She holds up a hand, stopping him. "Can we just take this one step at a time here? I remember what we used to have and how great it was. But I'm not ready to just dive back into that. We're not 18 anymore. We're different people who've changed. I'm going out to dinner with you tonight, because I find that I still enjoy talking to you. And I've had a really crappy day at work and I just need to not think about it anymore. Is that okay?"

Rick nods, strolling closer to her door so she can have a chance to get dressed. "You know, your hair like this reminds me of summer. Especially of that one year we both decided to give life-guarding a shot."

Kate groans, shaking her head. "Oh my god. That kid who knew he couldn't swim who kept jumping into the deep end because he had a crush on me and just wanted me to save him."

He laughs. "Yeah, I shut that down finally by attempting to give him CPR. He was not a fan of that."

She smiles, moving over to her dresser to pull out a pair of jeans.

"You're not helping, you know," she says softly. "Talking about the past like you're still in love with me."

She swears she sees a twinkle pass through his eyes as he turns back toward her doorway.

"I'm well aware. Now hurry up. I'm hungry."

* * *

><p>They end up at Remy's. And she's not even sure how he knew about this place that she often frequents after work. Maybe this guy he knows who gave him her phone number dropped some other little hints as well.<p>

"Did you call my dad?" Kate asks, after the waitress leaves with their order.

"Why would I do that?" Rick asks, folding the straw wrapper from his water up like an accordion.

"Well you pulled my phone number out of thin air and we just so happened to end up at my favorite place to get burgers. So you tell me."

He keeps playing with his straw wrapper. "I got your phone number from our landlord. Told him you left something in the laundry room, but I wasn't sure how to get a hold of you. I was worried it wouldn't work and he'd just give me your apartment number, but apparently he is as stupid as he looks. And as for Remy's? I've been coming here for years. Pure coincidence."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Then how have I never seen you here?"

"Poor timing?" Rick shrugs. "Or maybe you have and the encounter was just so brief neither of us had the chance to recognize the other."

She swirls her straw around her water glass, keeping an eye out for their waitress with their milkshakes. "I guess."

"So you were saying you had a bad day at work and you want friends outside of work to hang out with. Does this mean you want to talk about it or not?"

"Depends on the case," Kate sighs. "This one is just full of dead ends and I'm over it."

He hums, nodding his head. "I hate when that happens."

She picks up his folded straw wrapper from the table and throws it at him.

"What the hell would you know about dead end cases?"

"I have written myself many a plot hole, Kate. That is why, to this day, I hate _Hail of Bullets _so much."

She scrunches her eyebrows together. "There were plot holes in that?"

"Oh god yes. I'm surprised my publisher or editor didn't pick up on them. But I don't want to talk about that. And you don't sound like you want to talk about your case. So that basically leaves us with me wooing you with stories from our past or us talking about our exes."

Kate laughs, shaking her head. "There are so many other topics out there. Like the weather."

"Ooo! Or laundry!"

She keeps laughing as the waitress drops off their milkshakes.

"No, but really," Rick starts. "This guy who wanted you to move to Boston with him. You guys were serious?"

"I don't want to talk about Will, Rick. I don't need the reminder."

"The reminder of what? What you've given up for your mom's case?"

She stills. Her gaze focusing hard on the table, before she slowly looks back up at him.

"Look, I know you're trying to help me, but I've got it under control. I haven't touched that case in years. It's been cold a long time; no new evidence, no new leads. Yes, I gave up my Supreme Court dreams for this and I gave up a great guy for this. But dreams change. And if he couldn't see how important this was to me, maybe he wasn't that great of a guy after all."

"If he knew you _at all_, he should have realized –"

"I'm not as open as I used to be, Rick. And I don't like talking about her case. It isn't Will's fault. It's mine."

"You seem pretty open to me," he says softly.

Kate tosses him a soft smile. "That's because you already know me. You're already in the inner circle."

"Am I? Because there have been times since we…reconnected, where it's felt like you were trying to push me away."

She starts fiddling with her own straw wrapper. "You know me better than anyone. I used to tell you all of my secrets. And it's been years since I've had someone like that in my life. I guess it's just going to take some adjusting. It'll take some time before I remember how to not put up walls."

Rick reaches across the table for her hand. "I'll be here when you do."


	6. Chapter 6

He makes her take a walk with him after dinner. She had insisted they call it a night, but he had insisted otherwise and ultimately won out. Just like old times.

"You always do this," Kate says, slipping her arm through his as they stroll down the crowded city sidewalk.

"Do what?" Rick asks, a smirk quirking up his lips as though he already knows.

"Delay the inevitable."

"I'm still lost."

She sighs, rolling her eyes. He knows what she's talking about. _He knows. _

"Senior prom," she says, clucking her tongue.

He looks over at her as they reach a crosswalk and have to wait for traffic to stop. He's trying to look confused, but she sees right through it. She's had years of experience with his facial expressions.

Kate tosses him a look in return. "Rick."

"You told me you didn't want to be wooed by our past."

"This isn't wooing. This is you acknowledging you know what I'm talking about."

He pulls them forward as the crosswalk signal changes to walk. "But I don't. What does senior prom have to do with taking a walk?"

"You got me to stay out all night with you. You called it our last hoorah and said you never wanted it to end. On our first real date you kept coming up with other activities for us to do because you didn't want that to end either. The first time we had sex –"

"Okay, okay I get your point," Rick says hurriedly. "I have a problem letting good things end."

"Exactly. You always do this."

He looks over at her again. "Is it so wrong of me? I enjoy spending time with you. Always have."

Kate hums. "You make it sound like I don't enjoy my time spent with you."

"You're the one who wanted to go home already," he points out.

She hums again. "Yes, because a long, hot bath is calling my name to de-stress me after the day I've had."

"You know what else would de-stress you? Friends with benefits. I could join you in that bath. I've become quite good at giving massages."

Kate unlinks her arm from his to push him. He laughs, stumbling a little, before listing back into her side.

"Was that a no?" he smirks.

"Friends with benefits. Are you serious?" Kate asks, looking over at him. "With us, that's impossible."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's a history there. Feelings. You honestly think that you and I could just jump into bed together and still consider ourselves just friends?"

"Who said anything about a bed? I was talking about the tub."

Kate pushes him again. "You know what I mean."

He starts laughing again. "I'm kidding, Kate. I know you want to take this slow. But you can't mention you being naked and expect me not to react to it."

She sighs. "You really haven't changed, have you?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

She goes quiet for a moment, thinking about it.

"No," she finally answers, shaking her head. "I liked who you were. I guess I just assumed your maturity might have improved by now. You know, being a father and all."

"Hey, I have my moments. I am fully capable of being a mature adult. I just choose not to most of the time."

She smiles. "Child at heart."

He nods, smiling back at her. "Can we go back to this senior prom thing?"

"What about it?"

"You never did tell me how much trouble you got in for not coming home until nine in the morning," Rick starts. "I can't imagine Jim and Johanna were too pleased with that."

"That's because I didn't get in trouble."

His eyes widen. "How is that possible?"

"Because they thought I was spending the night at Maddie's," Kate smiles, shaking her head at herself.

"And I didn't know that you told that lie?" he asks, incredulous.

She shakes her head again. "No, I never told you. I wanted you to think the whole staying out all night thing was your idea, but really it was mine. Maddie and I had been planning the lie for at least a week."

"Why would you do that?"

She shrugs. "Because I knew you. I knew you didn't like to let good things end. So I had to make sure I had a solid alibi. I couldn't get grounded the summer before I left for college."

Rick whistles, twining her arm through his again. "Rebel Bex at it again."

"Yeah she was a real badass."

"And Detective Beckett isn't? I've never seen you in action, but I can imagine…"

Kate laughs, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I suppose when I get going…"

"I'd fear you if I were a murder suspect. I've seen you mad before."

She keeps laughing. "Okay, okay back to prom. What did you tell Martha about that night? Because I seem to remember you not getting in trouble either."

"I called her after post-prom, while you were waiting to get your purse back from the coat check or whatever you want to call it. Told her Jared was having some people over and we'd all probably end up crashing there."

She points at him, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger. "See? This is exactly what I meant by you being a bad influence. Lying to our parents and staying out all night." She shakes her head. "If I ever have kids and they try to pull this kind of stuff with me, they are so dead."

"And this is why I'm worried about Alexis becoming a teenager. It's going to start, Kate. The lying, the sneaking out –"

"Alexis seems like a good kid. Do you really think she'll be like that?"

He raises an eyebrow at her. "Do you not remember how you acted as a teenager?"

"Yeah, but Rick, I'm not her mother. There's no guarantees she's going to end up as wild as I did."

"Yeah, but I'm her father. I was just as bad as you were. Only I didn't go out and buy a motorcycle or get a tattoo."

"Don't forget the navel ring," she teases.

"No, absolutely not," Rick says, shaking his head vigorously. "My daughter is not getting any body part pierced that does not serve the purpose of hearing."

Kate stifles a laugh. "I know I've only met her twice, but from what I've seen, you did a really great job raising her, Rick. She'll be fine."

"And your parents didn't do a great job raising you?"

"I was fine until I met you."

"Lies."

She unlinks their arms and shoves him again. "Everyone is different, Castle. You can't predict how she's going to turn out. All you can do is teach her right from wrong and hope she listens. Me? I don't think I listened."

"Thank you," Rick says, nodding. "It's nice to know that even if Alexis decides to take a walk on the wild side, it probably won't be for forever. That despite my overprotective fatherly instincts, sneaking out does not mean she'll end up in jail."

"I did though," Kate shrugs.

His eyes widen as he turns to her and waits for her to continue. She smirks at him.

"I just ended up on the other side of it."

He groans, finally taking his turn at shoving her.

"You think you're so funny," he mutters.

"I _am _funny," she protests, placing a hand to her chest.

"You know, you haven't changed that much either," he tells her. "At least your sense of humor hasn't."

"Oh come on, you've always loved my jokes," Kate says, sticking out her lower lip in a fake pout.

"No, I loved you," Rick corrects. "Which meant pretending that I liked your jokes so you wouldn't get mad. But we're not dating anymore. The truth can finally come out."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Oh are we sure this is something we want to get into right now? Lies we told each other in high school?"

"Hmm maybe not tonight. Sounds like a fun conversation for a later date though."

"Oh it's happening," Kate says, shooting him a look. "You're going to regret starting this."

He looks back over at her, catches the smile in her eyes. "It is so on, Kate Beckett. So on."

* * *

><p>He feels…smitten. And she's right. <em>Of course.<em> They can't just jump back in to where they were in high school, they're not 18 anymore, etc. But oh, how he wants to. He's falling for her all over again. With her stupid jokes and that beautiful laugh and the way her hair dries naturally…the feelings are there.

But again, she's right. They need to take things slow, test the waters again. They'll fall back into their old pattern soon enough. Although this time, maybe without the staying out all night. He's just happy to have her back in his life, honestly. The one person who knows all about his secrets from his past.

When they were little, he was determined that he was going to marry her someday. Now he's starting to think his younger self just may have been right.

"Richard," Martha nods her head as she passes him on her way into the kitchen. "How was your evening with Katherine?"

"It felt a lot like old times," he tells her. "It was good."

"I think it's so wonderful the way you two are reconnecting. I always liked her. She's certainly a much better match for you than Meredith ever was."

"Mother."

"I know, I know, without her, I wouldn't have my granddaughter. But you can't honestly stand there and tell me you were better off with Meredith."

Rick sighs, wandering into the kitchen after her. "I never said I was better off with Meredith. The woman cheated on me, Mother. Clearly she isn't my first choice."

"So you and Katherine, then. Are you getting back together?"

"We're just friends."

Martha hums, pouring herself a glass of water.

"What?" he asks "Why are you making that noise?"

"Because I've watched the two of you together for years. Being 'just friends' with her? It's not going to last."

He's never wanted his mother to be more right. But Kate said she wasn't looking for a relationship right now. And he's fine with that really, as long as it means he still gets to spend time with her. He knows she'll come around eventually. After all, a kiss can only sustain a person for so long.


	7. Chapter 7

"We're really doing this?" Kate asks, crossing her legs at her ankles on her coffee table and picking back up her glass of wine.

"Oh, we're doing this," Rick says, lifting his own glass of wine. "It's time for the truth to come out."

"This won't be pretty," she warns him. "Sure, you can handle it?"

He smirks, taking a long sip of his wine. "What could you have possibly lied to me about when we were dating that you think I'm going to take so poorly?"

She hums. "Oh there's one thing in particular that I know is just going to crush you."

"And you plan to lead with that?"

Kate shakes her head. "Nah. I figured we'd ease into it. Start with the small stuff first."

"Okay, now I'm concerned. Should I be concerned?"

"Probably."

Rick narrows his eyes at her, his curiosity clearly peaked. What is she hiding behind that beautiful smirk of hers? She's definitely amused by whatever it was she lied about. It can't be that bad.

"Okay, so start us off," he tells her. "What's the first little white lie you can think of?"

"I don't like watermelon," she sighs.

He nearly spits out his wine he just took a sip of. "What?"

That was definitely not where he saw this going. Her distaste in a fruit he's watched her avoid for years isn't some big secret she's been keeping from him.

"It's true. In 6th grade, you had watermelon in your lunch nearly every day and I pretended to like it so you'd like me. You used to try and give me pieces and I'd suffer through eating them."

"I don't remember that at all," Rick laughs. "I know you hate watermelon."

Kate shrugs. "It's still a lie I told you."

"Are you sure that was even me?"

She nods. "It was definitely you. You were the only boy I was trying to impress at that age."

"Huh," he hums. "That was like me pretending to like Root Beer whenever I went over to your house and your mom offered it to me."

She bursts out laughing. "You could have told her no, you know? Or asked for something else. She wouldn't have been offended. She just kept offering it to you because she thought you liked it."

"No, there's no way I could have done that. You told me she bought a whole case of it once just for me. How was I supposed to tell her I didn't like it, after that?"

"God, I wish I could tell her the truth about you," she says, shaking her head. "She'd get a real kick out of it by now, I'm sure."

The statement hits him a little too hard. He knows that Johanna is gone, but her wishing something so simple, just a comment she wishes she could share and she can't, really forces him to see the reality of it all. Kate was right the other day. Things _are _different. They _have _changed.

"What do you think she'd say about us hanging out again?" Rick asks, treading lightly on the subject.

"She'd be thrilled I'm sure," Kate says with a small smile. "She'd start pushing, asking about engagement rings and bridal showers."

She trails off with that thought, looking down into her wine glass. He notices her change in expression, mad at himself for causing that. This whole not talking about Johanna thing is still new to him. She'd been alive when they were together, bringing him those stupid root beers and tossing him that same smile her daughter had inherited.

"Bridal showers, huh?" Rick starts. "Did she really think I was your one and done?"

"She knew you made me happy. And she would say us finding each other again was fate or something like that." She exhales a long sigh and sips at her wine again. "Anyway."

He reaches for her knee, his fingertips stroking over her patella.

"I miss her too, Kate."

She lets out another deep breath and nods. "So um, you know that shirt you used to wear all the time? That uh - polo shirt with the blue and white stripes?"

He lets her change the subject, but files away the knowledge that Johanna would want them married for later. If she thinks her mother would want that, then maybe she's thought about it some herself.

"Your favorite shirt?" he asks, lifting his wine glass to his lips.

"Yeah, about that..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. You didn't actually like that shirt?"

Kate winces, drawing her lower lip into her mouth and shaking her head.

"Kate, I _hated_ that shirt. I only wore it because you said you liked it."

"Oops," she shrugs, sheepishly.

"Unbelievable," he mutters. "I could have gotten rid of that thing long before I outgrew it. Or at least shoved it in the back of my closet."

"Sorry," she says, still wincing.

"Is that the big lie you've been harboring?" Rick asks, almost hoping that it is.

"No, that one is still coming."

"It's not like you never actually loved me or anything is it?" he asks, worry seeping into his tone.

This time, she's the one to reach out and pat his knee. "No, no it's nothing like that, I promise. I did love you. I wouldn't lie to you about something like that. I think this is turning into a bigger deal than it is. These are little white lies, not anything huge and life altering."

He catches her hand on his knee before she can pull it away. His thumb skims over the back of it.

"So then tell me what it is," Rick urges.

Kate sighs. "Fine. Okay. So umm this is kind of awkward, but I've faked orgasms with you before. Mainly every time during oral."

He lets a out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding, bursting into laughter. "That's it?"

She frees her hand from underneath his and pushes on his shoulder. "I know how sensitive guys can be about their ability in bed."

"Oh Kate," he starts, shaking his head and still laughing. "If you had told me that when we were 17, I'm sure I would have been crushed, but now... I'm sure I was pretty awful at it at that age."

"You say that like you think you've improved," she says, her voice sounding dangerously close to her bedroom voice that he remembers.

"Oh I'm awesome at it now. You can ask my ex-wife. The sex was the not reason for our divorce."

"You sure she wasn't just faking it too?" Kate smirks.

"Trust me. It's hard to fake a reaction like that."

He watches her face pale as she visibly swallows. Oh yeah, he got to her.

"So uh," she stammers, trying to regain her composure. "What's your big one? I mean your big lie or whatever."

She's clearly still flustered. Something else to store away for later.

"I don't know, Kate. We were kids. I'm sure there are dozens of things I lied about to impress you. I think what I already told you about pretending to like your jokes was big enough."

"This is true. You had me thinking I was very funny for many years. My standup comedian dreams, crushed."

"You would make a terrible standup comedian," he tells her.

She grins. "Yeah I know."

Rick sighs, shaking his head. "You know I think I'm actually more upset about the shirt thing than the oral thing."

"You really hated that shirt, huh?"

"Yes," he says nodding vigorously.

"You didn't have to wear that just for me, you know."

"Yeah, and you didn't have to fake orgasms for my benefit."

He watches her blush and retreat to her wine glass again.

"But I forgive you," he continues. "For all of it. Even for what happened there at the end, even though it was mostly my fault for overreacting the way I did."

"I can't let you take the blame for all of that," she says softly. "But I forgive you too."

He nods, swirling the remaining wine around in his glass before finishing it off. Their breakup fight had been ugly. So very ugly. But he chalks it up to them being 18-year-olds who thought they already knew what they wanted in life.

"I feel like this light-hearted conversation we were having just took a depressing turn," Rick tries to joke.

"Hey come on, our break up wasn't _all _bad. You did manage to get another kiss out of me."

"And an even more recent one," he adds.

There's that blush again.

"Kate, can I ask you something?"

She nods. "Go ahead."

"Why aren't you looking for a relationship right now? I'm not trying to push you or anything, I'm just...curious."

He practically holds his breath, waiting for her to answer.

"I guess it's just because every relationship I've had lately and the past couple of dates I went on, they've just all ended badly. I feel like I need a break from it all."

"Do you think we'd end badly? Like last time?"

Kate glances over at him before finishing off what's left in her wine glass and setting it on the coffee table next to his.

"I'd hope that we wouldn't. That we've grown enough by now, that we're not as selfish."

"I sense a but coming on," Rick tells her.

She sighs. "But, if we do this and it _does _end badly, we'll lose our friendship again. And I don't want to lose you. Once was hard enough."

"Look, I don't know about you, but I don't plan on going anywhere. Your move to California is what catalyzed the whole breakup ending fight after all."

"You think we'd still be together right now if I hadn't decided to go to Stanford?"

He shrugs. "It's hard to say. Without our breakup, I wouldn't have Alexis. So I'm glad that it happened. I'm glad that we got the chance to see what being with other people was like. But now that I've been with other people, I can honestly say that none of them were you."

"Yeah, nobody's been like you either."

"So then give me another chance. Let me show you that it's worth it. That _we're_ worth it."

Her tongue snakes out to draw her lower lip into her mouth, her teeth biting down on it.

"I thought you said you weren't trying to push," she says after a moment's hesitation.

"If you want me to back off, I will. It's just the prospect of good oral seemed to turn you on a bit back there," he says, trying to offer a laugh.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Really? That's it? You just want to prove that you can get me off with your mouth?"

Rick scoots closer to her on the couch. "Of course it's not. I want you, Kate. All of you. I was just hoping that would be a big selling point."

She exhales a long breath, looking past him, over his shoulder. "You know, my training officer was big on getting me to listen to my gut when it came to making decisions."

"Yeah? Well what's it telling you now?"

Kate refocuses her gaze on him. "It's telling me that I should go for it."


	8. Chapter 8

"You gonna listen to your gut on this one, Kate?"

She holds his gaze, her lips parting as she starts to answer him. But he doesn't let her finish, closing the gap between them and meeting those lips with his own. At first his lips are just pressed to hers, taking up her air and making her heart race. But then he tilts his head, fitting his mouth more solidly against hers, his hands tangling into her hair. He closes his lips around her, drawing her in, pulling on her until she's flush up against him.

Her hands fist in his shirt as his tongue traces along the closed line of her lips, requesting access to her mouth. She complies, opening her mouth to him, tasting the wine they had both been drinking. Kate instinctively wants more of it, trying to drink him in, to get every inch of his lips against hers. She presses herself against him further, releasing his shirt from her fists to cup his face.

She finds herself moving even more, straddling his hips, pressing her breasts against his chest, trying to create some form of friction as he continues to devour her mouth. They're fighting for each other's air and dominance over the kiss, when Rick drags his mouth away from hers and down her neck. She moans as his lips and tongue make their away over her sensitive skin, her hips rolling into his.

They need to stop. They should stop. This isn't...they shouldn't...

"Rick," it comes out on a breathy moan, but it gets him to stop.

He looks at her as her tongue snakes out to soothe her lower lip.

"Sorry," he apologizes softly, his hands lacing together at the small of her back. "Got a little carried away there."

Kate hums, her fingers slipping behind his neck to toy with his hair.

"Show me," she says softly, her nails scraping at the bottom of his scalp.

Her heart feels like it's going to beat straight out of her chest. She had told herself repeatedly that she wanted to take things slower than this. But at the same time she _needs _this. She wants to fall apart under his touch. She wants to get back what they had, or at least whatever semblance of it they're capable of achieving at this point. She wants to believe him when he says they're worth it.

"Show you what?" Rick asks slowly, narrowing his eyes at her.

"How you've improved," she smirks.

His eyes widen. "Kate - "

"I'm listening to my gut, Rick. I want this. I want you."

His hands fist in the back of her shirt and he leans forward to capture her lips in another kiss, quicker this time. She untangles herself from around him and stands, holding out her hand to help him up off the couch. She leads him toward her bedroom with their fingers intertwined.

Kate sits down on the edge of her bed and looks up at him.

"What you said earlier," she starts. "About wanting all of me? I want all of you too."

* * *

><p>Kate curls into his side, feeling happy and sated. Her head rests against his chest as his fingers lightly skim up and down her spine.<p>

"Okay tell the truth," Rick starts. "How much of that was faked?"

She laughs. "None of it. All real. All so very real."

"So you take it back then? I don't suck at oral?"

"No. Can't take it back because you _did _suck at it." She turns her head and places a kiss against his chest. "But I will amend it and say that is no longer the case."

"Come on, go ahead," Rick urges, nudging the top of her head with his chin. "Tell me how great I am."

"Your ego does not need any more boosting."

"Fine, fine. I'll just accept your begging and moaning as my praise."

Kate smacks his chest and he yelps, pretending it hurt more than it did. She smiles to herself, settling back in against him.

"Rick, can I ask you something?" she asks, starting to trace aimless shapes against his chest with her index finger.

"Do people ever actually say no when asked that question?"

"Rick."

"Sorry, go ahead."

She hums, trying to figure out how she wants to phrase this. "I'm in this, okay? I want to see if we still work together like we used to. But how many times does a person's first love end up being their last?"

He pulls her tighter against him. "Kate, I know you're worried that we've changed too much for this to work out. And maybe we have. But like I said, all I'm asking for is a chance, not your hand in marriage."

"And I'm willing to give you that chance."

"But you're still hesitant about this. Even with the knowledge of how incredible the sex is," he adds the last part, waggling his eyebrows at her even though her face is turned into his chest.

Kate sighs. "I'm not hesitant. I told you, I want this, I want you. I guess I'm just worried about falling too hard, too fast, and then losing you again."

"Do you remember in middle school when Danny Poppen had a crush on you?"

She lifts her head off his chest, and looks up at him confused. "What -"

"I have a point, just stay with me here," he assures her.

"Okay, yes, I remember Danny," she says slowly.

"And how that one day at lunch, the whole cafeteria was buzzing about how he was going to ask you out, because he was _that guy _whom every girl had a crush on. And then he did and that weekend his mom took you guys to get ice cream or something. Do you remember what you did after the date?"

She smiles. "I called you."

"Yeah, and do you remember how that conversation went?"

"I went on and on about how we had nothing in common and how he tried to kiss me, but I freaked out and didn't let him. And then I was worried that the whole school was going to think I was some sort of freak for turning the infamous Danny Poppen down." She shakes her head at the memory, her hair tickling against his neck.

"Is that all you remember?" Rick presses.

"No. No, that was when you asked me out for the first time. Trying to give me all this BS from the chick flicks I made you watch about how all the great love stories start being friends first. We were 14 and you had us sounding like 30-year-olds. But I think I knew you were right. That deep down, the reason I didn't want Danny to kiss me was because I wanted you to instead."

"See? We've always known, Kate. We've always wanted the two of us to work out."

She rolls off to his side, propping her head up with her hand, her elbow digging into the mattress next to him.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" she asks. "Ending up back here after all these years?"

"I think I'll stick with it being fate. Or maybe even destiny."

Kate smiles at that. "Yeah maybe. We've just known each other for so long..."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all."

She drops her arm and settles back against his chest. "Is Meredith the only serious relationship you've had since me?"

His arms settle back around her waist. "No, there was this girl, Kyra. I was pretty crazy about her, but she moved away."

"Distance is a bitch, huh?"

He laughs. "That it is. What about you? Just Will?"

She nods. "Just Will."

"I still find it hard to believe that no one has snatched you up already."

"Well not everyone sees what you see," Kate shrugs.

"Have the men you've been dating been blind or?"

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "I had one guy straight up tell me that he was intimidated by the fact that I was a cop. Another one tried to tell me that I was doing a man's job and that I was too pretty for that. This one guy that I actually genuinely liked and felt comfortable around, asked me why I had chosen to become a cop so I told him the truth and then I never heard from him again after that. It was like he thought I had too much baggage or something, I don't know. I told you, I've just had a string of really bad luck with guys since Will."

"Oh, I really want to say something to that but it's too corny, you'll hate me for it."

Kate props herself up to look at him again. "Okay, well now you _have_ to say it."

He winces. "It looks like your luck is finally changing."

She groans, flopping onto her back.

"I told you it was bad!"

She covers her face with her hands and shakes her head, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Kate, come on," he says, rolling onto his side and trying to pry her hands away from her face.

Her laughter grows even louder as she tries so very hard not to let him win. He's laughing too by now, finally managing to pin her wrists down on either side of her head. She looks up at him with a glint in her eyes, her focus slowly dropping down to his lips.

"Do you need to be getting home anytime soon?" she asks.

Rick shifts his weight so he's on top of her. "No, I definitely have time for a round two."

* * *

><p>AN: So I decided to keep this story rated T for those who may not be interested in an M rated story. BUT, tomorrow I will be posting an M rated insert scene entitled Bliss. Keep an eye out, if you're interested. :) Also thank you all so much for your support thus far. It really means a lot.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

He wants to surprise her, take her out to this restaurant they always joked about getting into in high school someday when they had money enough to afford it. He went there once with Meredith and thought about Kate the entire time. It's about time he goes there with the person he actually wants to be there with.

Rick knocks on her door, wondering how long they have to date before they exchange keys. Then he quickly chastises himself, reminding himself that she wanted to take this slow. Of course that was before all of the orgasms he had given her last night. Really he has no clue where they stand. All he's gathered is that they're dating, that she's giving this a chance. Which is good enough for him…for now.

The door swings open and to his surprise, it's not Kate standing there.

"Mr. Beckett!" Rick exclaims, fearing his face makes him look just as guilty as he did in high school when her father constantly caught them making out on the couch.

"Mr. Rodgers," Jim nods. "Or, uh, I hear it's Castle now."

"Rick is fine," he says, reaching out to shake the man's outstretched hand.

God, had Kate felt this awkward meeting his mother again?

"Dad, who's at the door?" Kate's voice wafts out from the apartment. She sounds like she's in the kitchen.

"Some old boyfriend of yours," Jim shrugs, tossing Rick a wink.

He pretends to laugh, trying hard to remind himself that he is a grown man now and not some 18-year-old kid screwing this man's daughter. Okay well the second part is still true. _Shit._

Jim side steps away from the door, allowing Rick entrance into the apartment. Kate looks over her shoulder from where she stands in front of the fridge and smiles at him.

"Hey," she greets him, her smile widening. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I was in the building, so I figured I'd stop by."

She groans, tossing the towel sitting on the counter at him.

"Rick lives upstairs now," Kate explains to her father. "His sense of humor hasn't changed much."

"Oh like yours has?" Rick tosses back.

She smirks and turns back to the fridge. "So really, what are you doing here? I told you I was cooking for my dad tonight. Did you decide you wanted to join in?"

"You did?" he asks, scratching his head, trying to remember.

"Don't you check your phone?"

_Oh_. He'd noticed he had a text from her. But rather than just read it like a normal person, he'd decided to come on down and talk to her in person.

"You should stay, Rick," Jim says, patting him on the back. "We can catch up."

"Dad, please," Kate starts, carrying the ingredients she's gathered from the fridge to the counter. "We're not in high school anymore. Don't scare the poor man."

"Katie, if I can still scare him after all of these years –"

"Mr. Beckett," Rick starts.

"Jim," he tells him. "Katie's right. You're not in high school anymore."

Rick nods. "Jim, I would love to stay for dinner, but my mother was planning on me cooking tonight –"

"So invite her down too," Jim shrugs.

"Dad," Kate hedges.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun! The four of us, having dinner together, catching up."

"There would actually be five us," Rick explains. "I have a daughter. She's 12."

Jim raises an eyebrow at him. "You're married?"

"Divorced actually."

Jim nods, glancing back over at Kate. "Well invite her down too. I can warn you about all of the troubles of raising a teenager daughter."

"Dad," Kate grits out, tossing him a warning look.

Her father smirks at her. "You know you were a handful."

"Yeah and so does he," she says pointing to Rick. "He was there, remember? Also I didn't buy enough to cook for five people. It was just supposed to be the two of us tonight."

"Well I could bring down what I was going to make," Rick suggests. "We could work together."

She glares at him, giving him a tight-lip smile. "Rick, can I talk to you for a minute? Over here?"

Jim chuckles to himself and moves to go sit on the living room couch, giving them their privacy. He picks the newspaper up off the coffee table and begins to read it.

"I, uh, I suppose this is a bad time to ask you out to that Riverpark restaurant we always wanted to go tomorrow night, huh?" Rick asks, wringing his hands together.

Kate groans, carding her fingers through her hair. "Focus, Rick. Dinner with our parents and your daughter? Tonight? I am not prepared for this."

"Well it's not like our parents don't already know each other. And you've had dinner with Alexis twice now," he offers, trying to lend her some comfort.

She draws her lower lip into her mouth, worrying it between her teeth.

"Kate, it's going to be fine," he tells her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

><p>"So, Rick," Jim starts, passing the bread to Kate. "Martha and I were talking while you two were in the kitchen cooking and I think we're both wondering what your intentions are with my daughter here."<p>

"Dad, please," Kate hisses, passing the bread along to Rick.

"Jim, you don't have to make it sound like you're interrogating him," Martha chimes in. "We're merely curious if you two are getting back together."

"Well, I –" Rick starts.

"Dad, I thought you said that you and Kate were just friends," Alexis cuts him off.

"Well, we dated in high school," he tells her.

"But you aren't dating now?" Jim asks.

"No, I never said –"

Kate reaches across the table and pats his hand. "We're giving dating each other another chance, yes."

Rick tosses her a grateful look, finally passing the bread to Alexis.

"What are the odds?" Jim says, shaking his head. "If only your mother was still around to see this. I'm sure she'd be just thrilled."

Rick grins at Kate. "See? I told you Johanna always liked me."

"I'm well aware," she tells him.

"So if you guys are dating," Alexis starts. "Kate will be sticking around, right? Cause she has some really funny stories about you, Dad. I like talking to her."

Rick narrows his eyes at Kate. "What have you been telling her?"

She shrugs in response, feigning innocence.

"And to answer your question, Alexis, she's not going anywhere anytime soon."

His eyes meet hers across the table and she smiles, reaching for her wine glass.

"I have to say, I'm impressed with you, Rick," Jim says, reaching for the butter. "You've made quite a name for yourself with your writing. I had no idea you were that good."

"That's because he never let you read his work," Kate tells him. "I knew he'd make it big. I've always known."

She catches his gaze again and he feels his heart swell. Is it possible to be in love with her again already?

"I did too," Martha adds. "Back when I figured out he'd much rather write the plays instead of performing in them."

"Does that mean I'm destined for a life of directing?" Alexis asks. "You know, to complete the family career circle?"

"Don't give your grams any ideas, honey. She's relentless," Rick warns.

Alexis giggles as Martha tosses her napkin across the table at him.

"I suppose Katie stayed in our family career circle. She may not have gone to law school like originally planned, but she still works to uphold the law. And I'm still proud of her," Jim says.

"So that's a thing then?" Alexis asks. "Family career circles?"

Jim laughs. "No, I don't think it is. I was just going off of what you said. Don't worry about what your family does for a living. Find something that makes _you_ happy. But you have plenty of time to figure out what that is."

The girl smiles at him before digging back into her food. Rick mouths a 'thank you' to him from across the table and the older man nods in response. Martha starts up a conversation with Jim, one that has Alexis laughing right along with them.

"You were right," Kate says softly, leaning across the table. "This isn't the disaster I thought it would be."

"Apparently, our parents have matured right along with us," he shrugs. "But after tonight, I'm definitely going to need some alone time with you tomorrow."

"You can take me to Riverpark…as long as you're paying."

"I'd make a joke about you only wanting me for my money and my body, but my child is sitting right over there."

She smirks at him. "I think you just made it anyway."

He laughs, drawing the attention back to himself and rejoining the group discussion. No, tonight was a far cry from a disaster.

* * *

><p>"You know, I had a nice time tonight," Jim sighs, sinking back onto the couch now that he's alone with his daughter once again. "I know we had planned to eat just us; I hope I didn't ruin your evening any with my invitations."<p>

Kate sinks down onto the couch next to him. "No, Dad, you didn't. I had a good time too."

"Good," he says smiling at her. "It kind of felt like we were part of a big family there for a moment again you, know? More to it than just you and me."

"But it's not just you and me. There's Aunt Theresa and –"

"No, no, I know. But here in the city, it's just the two of us. And things are still pretty lonely without your mother to keep me company."

Her hand flies up to grasp at the ring around her neck at the mention of her mother. "You're allowed to start dating again, you know. Mom would want you to be happy."

"I know. There's just no one else out there like her. And I know you understand that since you've gone back to dating Rick."

"Dad," she starts, looking down at her lap.

"I watched you two together tonight. I haven't seen you smile that much in a long time. Let him make you happy, Katie. You deserve it."

"Do you really think that what we have rivals what you and mom had?" she asks, looking back up at him.

"I'm not an expert at your love life or anything, but even when you were kids that boy has always known how to cheer you up. You need someone like that. Especially if you intend to keep looking into your mother's murder."

"I haven't touched that case in years, Dad."

"I know. But can you really sit there and say you don't plan to ever again?"

Her silence is enough of an answer for him as she stares back down at her lap.

"All I'm saying is, no matter how much I was irritated with him when you were younger, he seems to have grown up into a fine, young man."

Her lips quirk up into a smile. "Well I'm glad I finally have permission to date him after all of these years. But I think you're right, Dad. He is good for me."


End file.
